7/17/12

Cast a Deadly Spell was heavily influenced by the works of H.P. Lovecraft (the main character is named after the venerable author), but it's not based on any one story to the best of my knowledge. It merely sponges the tendrils of his creations. The Necronomicon and The Old Ones play an integral role in the storyline, which is far too elaborate to synopsize in a pithy capsule review. I'll just impart the nuts and bolts of the premise. Set in 1948, Spell is a ghoulish film noir that follows a quick-witted detective (as portrayed by Fred Ward) who is assigned to track down a stolen tome previously owned by a well-heeled eccentric. Oh, and it's a parallel universe where magic - both black and white - is commonplace.

Diabolic divination and Lovecraftian overtones add spice to what could have been a sluggish mystery. Technically, this is a made-for-TV production, but it premiered on HBO. So it looks slick stacked up against the CBS teleplays of the day. The acting is superlative, the dialogue is tapered (we get loads of quotable one-liners) and the creature effects are solid. A unique diamond in the rough, to be sure. Complaints? Nothing weighty, although the humor is needlessly childish at times. Most people don't realize that there was a sequel, but there was. And it starred Dennis Hopper. And it will be the next movie that I review.

1 comment:

I've always loved this movie, I just wish that it was on DVD! Fred Ward, he was great on this one as the detective. In deed, it is very Lovecraftian, that tentacled monster in the end, so awesome. Way better than it should have been, considering it was a tv movie. Wasn't aware there was a sequel! I'll have to look into that, looking forward to your review of it.

About Me

My name is Dom Coccaro. I'm an established freelance writer. I like to write reviews, but I find that it's hard to find review-writing gigs on the Internet that pay more than $0.00. I don't like being boxed in and I don't like to constantly give my writing away for free, especially if it's not on my own website. So I created this blog. I'm free to review anything I want to, though I'll be mainly focusing on horror, metal and wrestling. Often times, my review selections will seem incredibly random. Randomness is underrated. Thus, Random Reviews has been birthed from my cavernous vagina.
PS-This blog is rated R for profane language.